Biography of Stephen F. SelbyWayne County, NY Biographies

Selby, Stephen Fish, was born August 16, 1815, in Western Pennsylvania, a son of Jared C., and Charity (Fish)
Selby. The first two years of his life were spent at Pultneyville, where his parents resided. The next three or
four years was spent at the "Corners" and vicinity, then his parents removed to Palmyra. A year later
he went to live with Dr. Luther Cowan, remaining two years until the latter's death, when for the next two years
he resided with Capt. Asa Silly. He was four years in the store of Luther Tucker in Palmyra, then learned the printer's
trade out of school hours, then went to Walworth with Luther Tucker in his store there, where he remained four
years, being then an orphan without means. Mr. Tucker's executors paid him $500 which he put to interest, and then
entered the office of Drs. Delamater & Loomis, of Palmyra, working for his board, tuition and use of books.
A year later Dr. Delamater went to Fairfield to practice, taking young Selby with him. The latter spent eight months
in the academy in that place, four months in the medical college (each year for seven years), and later went with
Dr. Delamater to Little Falls where they remained a year, then went to Willoughby, Ohio, where our subject assisted
the doctor in his practice and graduated at Willoughby University. Dr. Delamater then went to Cleveland, leaving
the practice with our subject, who remained here and in Northern Ohio following his profession about seventeen
years, including one year in partnership with Dr. Delamater in Cleveland. In 1861 he enlisted and was placed in
charge of the 3d O. V. C. as surgeon, which position he held two years, when partly disabled by fever. He was two
years in them hospitals of Nashville, Tenn., as surgeon, when he became permanently and totally disabled and returned
to Ohio. In 1873 he and family sought a quiet home in Williamson, where they settled on a farm and have since resided,
Dr. Selby receiving a small pension. In 1846 he married Sarah Agnes Fisk, of Ashtabula, O., and they had seven
children: Mary, Emma, Amos, Jared, Stephen, and Nellie, who died aged two and one half years, and one who died
in infancy. Jared Cone Selby, his father, was born May 2, 1787, and died February 22, 1826, at New Orleans aged
thirty eight years. He was a past master Mason. His father was Jeremiah Selby who came from East Haddam, Conn.,
about 1800 with his wife and seven children, making his way in a small boat of his own construction to a point
one and one half miles west of Palmyra on Mud Creek, where he located and built a grist mill and about 1805 moved
to Pultneyville and built and operated a grist and saw mill till his death. He died September 15, 1811, aged sixty
six, and his wife Sarah Cone, died July 4, 1822. His father was William Selby, M. D., who came from Selby, Yorkshire,
England, about 1702. He was a direct descendant of the first Selby, who was a Saxon sea captain and was the founder
of Selby.